


I Promise You

by broadway_and_burbank



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 07:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15903882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_and_burbank/pseuds/broadway_and_burbank
Summary: When his grandfather falls ill, Kristoff takes over his land while he recovers. There he meets Anna, an aspiring painter who lives on the grounds and has a strong fondness for rabbits.Inspired by Peter Rabbit (2018)





	I Promise You

**Author's Note:**

> There was no reason for this except to write something cute and fluffy.

Anna tilted her head as she looked at the canvas.

It was fine, but something was missing; she just couldn’t tell what.

The pop music filling the bright studio quieted as the song ended. She sighed and put her brush down, deciding a break was in order.

The studio in her little cottage had floor to ceiling windows; the natural lighting was unbelievable and the sunshine painted everything golden.

But outside, she could fully feel the heat and smell the warm air. Plus, it was certain there would be hungry bunnies waiting to be fed.

Anna smiled at the thought and stepped around the half-finished painting.

She crossed the tarp covered floor, careful not to knock over her other work, and opened the screen door.

The countryside smelled like fowers and pollen, and Anna smiled at the sensation of a slight breeze ruffling her bangs.

She walked down the stone steps and stepped onto the grass, reveling in the feeling of the green blades slipping between her toes.

She looked to her left and waved at Pabbie in his garden. The old man waved back, as chipper as ever.

Anna couldn’t believe how light her heart seemed to feel all time; taking a break in the country was a _great_ idea.

She heard rusting behind her and turned, seeing movement in the bushes right next to her door.

“It’s that you, babies?” She asked, crouching low to the ground.

As if to answer her, a small group of rabbits hopped out of the thick bush.

“Hey, sweethearts.” She cocked her head to the side again and counted.

“Thomas, Lily, Bea, Ida…wait, where’s Olaf?”

A fat, white bunny came from the bushes right after and Anna smiled.

“Olaf! There you are.”

Anna lightly stroked their ears, making sure to pet each one equally; she knew how jealous they could get over her attention sometimes.

But she loved them so much and she knew they loved her.

“Are you guys hungry? I bet Pabbie has some vegetables he’s willing to share.”

The rabbits almost seemed to nod in agreement.

Suddenly, Anna heard a muffled thud.

She turned around to face the area the sound came from, but couldn’t see anything. She stood up, looking around for the sound.

Then she realized she couldn’t see Pabbie anymore.

“Pabbie?” She called, walking over to the main house.

She pushed through the old gate and began searching down the rows.

Pabbie’s vegetable garden was expansive, with a large, stone wall surrounding it. However, he had an old, shoddy gate that sung open on its side. He could’ve fixed it, but he never did. He liked the animals coming in and having a treat when they needed it.

He farmed all day in order to take his products into town and sell them to people or stores, but he always saved some for the animals. Anna admired him greatly for that.

“Pabbie?” She yelled again, starting to get worried. It’s possible he went inside, but he didn’t move that fast and her back wasn’t turned long enough for him to have even made it halfway to the door.

She passed the tall sunflowers they both loved so much and couldn’t stop the scream that left her throat.

Pabbie was sprawled on the ground, not moving. The hoe he was using laid useless by his side.

Anna threw herself to the ground, trying to hold back her tears. She took a deep breath and held his hand in hers. _Come on, Anna, you can do this._

Luckily, her cell phone was in her back pocket and she called 911 immediately. He was alive – barely – so she was instructed what to do until the ambulance arrived.

After being talked through chest compressions for what felt like hours (but was probably only a couple of minutes), the paramedics arrived.

They took him away in the back of the vehicle as Anna watched teary-eyed, praying for the fate of her dear friend.

Once the ambulance was out of sight, Anna sat on her stoop and finally let all the tears flow.

The sun was still shining and the air was still hot, but she felt empty and cold on the inside.

_Poor Pabbie. God, please let him be okay._

Her rabbit friends sat by her feet and Olaf rubbed his head on her ankle.

\------

It had been a few days and Anna hadn’t heard a thing.

He always talked about his family and she knew he had a big one, but she didn’t know how to contact them to find out any news.

She’d even considered going into his house – the doors were _never_ locked – to see if she could find any family information. Someone to call or write to or something.

Also, if he was… _gone,_ God forbid, then the land would be sold. She didn’t know if the new owner would still let her rent the cottage.

She wasn’t too anxious about that, not when Pabbie may be dead, but it was a little concern chewing at the back of her mind.

On the fourth day since he was gone, Anna woke up at around nine in the morning.

She blinked against the morning sun and yawned, stretching in her bed.

After another fifteen minutes of immobility, she finally got up and readied herself for the day.

Not that she really needed to be ready for anything – she could paint in her pajamas if she wanted – but she liked feeling productive.

After a quick shower and breakfast, Anna made way to her studio.

As soon as she stepped into the glass haven, she head a sound. Something that sounded like metal on metal.

She ran to one of the windows and looked across at Pabbie’s garden, hoping he was there.

Her heart deflated when she saw someone else there. He was bent over the gate, presumably fixing it.

It wasn’t Pabbie.

That could only mean…

Anna took a shaky breath and stepped away from the window, wrapping her arms around herself.

Maybe he was fine, maybe Pabbie just _wanted_ to sell it.

Only he would _never_ sell it.

After taking another deep breath, Anna slowly opened the screen door and walked down to her flower garden.

She watched the man work for a moment and unconsciously licked her dry lips in the heat.

He was tall. Very tall. And muscular, with broad shoulders and thick arms that lifted the entire gate as he placed it back in the hinges properly.

The two houses were rather close; it was only about thirty feat from Anna’s door to the gate of the garden.

So she could see his features rather well.

He was _attractive._

She prayed that Pabbie was okay, but damn, maybe he could keep this guy on as a hand or something.

Also he might know something about the situation.

Also he was cute.

Also Anna was worried about her old friend.

Also he was slightly sweating through his white t-shirt.

With her mind made up, Anna marched from her house and across to Pabbie’s.

\------

Kristoff grunted as he pounded the gate back into place. He would definitely have to replace the gate, but for now, fixing the hinges would have to do.

The stone wall was pretty well kept, although there were large areas with rocks missing.

He hadn’t even had the chance to check the rest of the house out yet. He set his few bags inside the hallway and immediately got to work.

Kristoff had promised to keep the place up; he figured he might as well fix it up a bit, too.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around the garden. He couldn’t see too much from the entrance, but there was clearly evidence of rabbits eating some of the crop.

Sven could take care of them.

He was just about to enter the garden when he heard someone call to him.

“Hi!”

He turned at the cheerful voice and was surprised to see a girl walking towards him, waving excitedly.

Her smile was wide and her face was covered in freckles. So were her arms and legs, which were completely exposed by her short, pink sundress.

Her red braids bounced over her shoulders as she walked towards him with a strange sense of determination.

Kristoff forgot Pabbie rented out the cottage.

He definitely wouldn’t forget again.

He self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck as she made her way to him.

“Oh, uh, hey.”

He usually didn’t care how he looked that often, but she was very well put together, while he was sweating in an old t-shirt.

“I’m Anna; I rent the collage, ugh, right there.” She pointed back at the house as if he wouldn’t know what she meant.

“Kristoff,” he said as he awkwardly held out his hand.

She didn’t seem to notice his trepidation though as she grabbed his large hand in her small one and shook is firmly.

Her hands were really soft.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kristoff,” she said, taking her hand back. The sun was bright, so she was squinting while she talked to him. It made her nose crinkle up. “So…um, do you – do you live here now? Or…?”

“Oh, no. I’m just looking after it while my grandpa’s recovering.”

“Oh my God!” Anna’s hand flew to her chest as she smiled. “You’re Pabbie’s grandson? So he’s okay?”

“Yeah,” Kristoff couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face; it was sweet of her to be concerned. It was absolutely terrifying when he got the news – not that he would tell her that – but Pabbie was expected to make a full recovery. “The doctors say it looks promising. He has a few more days of observation in the hospital, then he’s going to stay with my mom for a bit. I’m just staying here for a few months until he’s better.”

“That’s so wonderful to hear,” Anna said, tucking a lose strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s such a great man.”

“Yeah, he definitely is.”

“I was _so_ worried. Can you tell him I say hello? And that I’m so happy he’s okay!”

Anna leaned against the stone wall and one side of her dress slid up the slightest bit, revealing more of her thigh. Kristoff cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down at the gate.

“Uh…yeah. Yeah, of course.”

He began to inspect his handiwork so he would have something to look at besides her sympathetic expression or freckled thigh.

“You know,” she said, pushing herself off the wall and putting her hand on the gate. “Pabbie never wanted to fix this. He liked the rabbits coming in.”

Kristoff raised a brow at her then shrugged. “Sounds like Pabbie. And I love the man, but I think it’s a dumb idea.”

“What? Why?” Anna asked, sounding more offended than he felt like she had a right to.

“Um, because these are supposed to be sold? To people? A rabbit takes one bite out of something and it’s out of commission. It’s just wasting profit.”

Anna looked at him incredulously.

“You understand how money is made, right?” He didn’t mean to be snide, but he didn’t like the way she was looking at him.

She was taken aback for a moment, then rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Um, _wow,_ okay. _Yes,_ I understand. But giving a rabbit a carrot or two isn’t going to hurt. Sometimes he would invite me up to the porch and we would feed them together.”

Kristoff rolled his eyes in return and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the now stable gate. “That’s cute and all, but I came here to work, not feed rabbits all day. I fixed the gate so they’d stay out of here.”

“This is their land too!”

“No, their land is out there,” Kristoff said as he gestured to the wide open fields and the woods. “I think they’ll be fine.”

Sven then rounded the corner of the wall, sniffing at the base of the large stones. He was inspecting the entirety of the garden, starting with the wall.

“Plus, I’ve got Sven to keep them out.”

Anna gasped, then furrowed her brows. “You wouldn’t!”

“Relax, Red. He’s not gonna hurt them. He’ll just chase them away.”

“My name is _Anna._ And he’s going to scare the life out of them!”

She crouched down and held out her hand experimentally. Sven forgot his mission and trotted over to her, sniffing her hand then licking her fingers.

Anna giggled and rubbed the dog’s head. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you? You’d never hurt a wittle bunny wabbit would you?”

The dog gave a happy bark and turned is head as Anna scratched under his chin.

“First of all, don’t talk to him like that,” Kristoff said as Anna stood back up and raised a brow at him. “And seriously, I don’t have an issue with rabbits…as long as they stay out of the garden, alright?”

Anna pushed her finger into his chest and Kristoff actually leaned back. She was surprisingly intense for someone so small.

“If you so much as _touch_ one of their floppy ears, I swear I’m gonna…I’m gonna – I don’t know what I’m gonna do but I swear to God, you will regret it!”

“Calm down there, feisty-pants,” Kristoff said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Your face is nearly the same color as your hair.”

Anna couldn’t stop the frustrated grunt that left her throat. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, then said, “I’m sorry – I just – I just don’t understand how _you’re_ Pabbie’s grandson.” Anna gestured to him and shrugged. “He’s honestly the sweetest person I’ve ever met. And you’re just a-” She cut herself off, looking up as she thought of a word.

“A dick?”

“I was gonna say jerk. But hey, if the shoe fits.”

“I can live with that.”

“Ugh! You are infuriating!” Anna turned around and began to tramp away before turning around again. “Leave the rabbits alone!”

“I will if they will.”

She nearly stomped her foot as she turned back around and began to mutter loudly to herself. “ _Unbelievable!_ Why are the cute ones always assholes?”

“You think I’m cute, huh?” Kristoff called after her, overhearing her not-so-silent mumble. He blushed at the knowledge, but teasing her was too tempting.

A slight shriek of panic left her mouth as she quickend her steps back up to her door and slammed it behind her.

Kristoff could see her pacing through the glass room and couldn’t help but softly laugh.

Yeah, she was pretty adorable.

\------

It was a couple of days before they actually spoke again. They had made eye contact across their yards before awkwardly looking away and stayed on their respective parts of the property.

Their next meeting was in town.

Kristoff needed to pick up more materials to finish working on the house. Not to mention wood for the new gate.

He was just leaving the hardware store, pulling out of the parking lot, before he almost ran over someone with his truck.

Someone on a bike.

Anna.

Granted, Kristoff wasn’t paying attention (he may or may not have been wondering about said person), so it’s a miracle he managed to stop the vehicle when he did.

Anna froze in the cross walk before she realized who was behind the wheel.

“Are you trying to kill _me_ now, too?”

Kristoff quickly unbuckled and opened his door, stepping out of the truck. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry; are you okay?”

Anna got off her bike and stood with a hand firmly placed on her hip. “Yeah, no thanks to you.”

“I’m so, so sorry. Are – are you heading back? To the house, I mean.”

“I was, yes.”

“Do you want a ride?”

Anna stared at him curiously. It _was_ hot outside, but he did piss her off the other day. And nearly hit her with his car.

“Please?” Kristoff asked once she didn’t respond. “It’s the least I can do. And, not to sound like a total creep, but I kind of know where you live. So I could, y’know, drop you off.”

A shy sort of smile spread over his face and Anna found herself smiling back.

“Are you sure? I mean, if it’s not out your way or anything.”

“I think I can squeeze it in.”

Kristoff forced a cough when he realized he was still smiling. “I, uh, I can put your bike in the back…if you want.”

“Sure, thank you.” Anna passed the bike to him and tried to hide her smile by biting her lip.

He put her yellow bike in the bed of the truck as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Anna smiled at him as he got back in the driver’s seat and Kristoff immediately felt his hands get sweaty.

“So, uh,” Kristoff started as they pulled onto the road. He didn’t know what to say, but being so close to her suddenly made him nervous. “What were you doing in town?” He cringed after he asked this, feeling it was too personal and possibly even bordering on creepy.

Anna didn’t notice though and nonchalantly waved her hand. “Just riding. Trying to clear my head. I’ve been in such a slump lately.”

“Oh, right, you’re an…artist right?”

“Yeah; how did you know?”

He wasn’t stalking her or anything, but sometimes he would just look up and see her in her studio, painting while dancing to music that he couldn’t hear. He never meant to stare, he really didn’t, but it was _really_ difficult not to.

“You’re studio is glass, remember? Plus, the few times I’ve seen you recently, you’ve had paint all over you.”

“Oh, yeah.” Anna just sighed. “I mean, it’s the reason I came out here! The country is so gorgeous and I never lack inspiration, but I just can’t seem to get my ideas onto the canvas correctly, you know?”

“Uh…no?”

Anna couldn’t help but roll her eyes, but smiled all the same. This guy was kind of exasperating, but also completely adorable.

“Right; Mister Fix-it. Mister ‘no rabbits or fun allowed in my yard’-”

“I do _not_ sound like that.”

“-I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about art. Or the process of it.”

Kristoff would have been annoyed, but she _was_ right. Also, the sun was shining in front of them as he drove and her noise was doing the crinkle thing as she squinted.

“I take offense to that. I’ll have you know, I can draw a killer stick figure.”

Anna laughed; Kristoff realized hadn’t heard something that lovely in a long time.

“Oh, really? Well, you’re gonna have to prove it to me or else I’m not going to believe you.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“ _Maybe._ ”

“Wow. That hurts. And here I thought we could at least be agreeable.” Kristoff deadpanned with a small grin on his face.

“I think that ended the second you threatened to eat those poor bunnies.”

“Whoa, no one said anything about eating them; I’m not a psycho.”

“Fine, feeding them to your dog or whatever.”

“I wouldn’t do that, either. Look, I’m sorry I kinda pushed you the other day. I _was_ being a jerk.”

“Thank you,” Anna said as she looked at him curiously. He really did seem sorry about the whole thing.

“I didn’t mean to make you that upset over it. Also I’m sorry – again – for almost hitting you with my car.” Kristoff cringed but Anna just laughed.

“Thanks I appreciate that. Maybe I’ll just save my bike rides for the days I know you’re _not_ in town.”

“Works for me. When you’re gone I can go rabbit hunting.”

“Not funny!”

Kristoff couldn’t help but laugh and Anna tried to look furious, but she simply couldn’t.

“I’m sorry,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just so easy.”

“And here I thought we could at least be agreeable.” Anna gave him a soft smile and it took all of Kristoff’s focus to keep his eyes on the road.

“We…could be?” It came out as a question, but Kristoff knew he wanted to be in her good graces, although he couldn’t fathom why. “I know I’m kind of…”

“A dick?”

“I was gonna say jerk.”

Anna grinned at this and looked down at her hands.

“But…we are neighbors. It’ll probably be easier if we don’t hate each other.”

“I don’t hate you,” she said firmly. “I’d actually really like to be friends, Christopher.”

“Kristoff.”

“Oh, uh, right. Step one: remember your name. Check.”

“I’m honored.”

“Sorry.”

“Hey, so far, I nearly killed you and you only forgot my name. I think you’re winning in the friendship department.” Kristoff didn’t tell her how weirdly happy he felt knowing they were friends.

“Well _obviously_ I’d win. Not to brag or anything, but I’m pretty much a master at friend-making.”

“Glad to know I passed the test.”

“Not yet,” Anna said, turning towards him with a new look of determination. “You just have to promise me _one_ thing.”

“Okay…?”

“You’ll leave those rabbits alone!”

Kristoff laughed and Anna narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re really serious about this.”

“I mean it! I will literally make your life a living Hell if you bother them!”

Her animated expression only made Kristoff’s grin widen.

“Alright, feisty. I won’t.”

Anna couldn’t understand why the nickname suddenly didn’t bother her as much as it did before. She pushed the realization out of her head and stuck out her arm, pinky finger raised.

“Promise?”

Kristoff could only laugh again.

“Really?”

“Pinky promise or those rabbits aren’t gonna be the only thing you have to worry about.”

He hooked his pinky around hers as a smile spread across his face again.

“Okay. I promise.”

“Great!”

Anna took her hand back and settled contently back into her seat.

“So, Kristoff, what do you do?”

“I have a construction job in the city, but I took time off to come out here.”

“I’m from the city too and I was only planning on staying here for like a month just to clear my head, but I’ve been here for three already. I miss my sister, but…I don’t want to go back yet.”

Anna didn’t want to get too much into her reasons, it was something she wasn’t in the mood to talk about. Luckily, the truck turned into their long driveway right after so the conversation ended.

Kristoff pulled the truck over in front of her house and stopped the engine as the two unbuckled their seatbelts.

“Thank you,” Anna said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and suddenly feeling nervous.

“Of course.”

Anna moved to open the door, but paused before she pulled the handle.

“Everything okay?” Kristoff asked, noticing her hesitation.

“Yes. Um…” She bit her lip, then took a breath and turned to Kristoff. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“No, not yet; why?”

“Do you wanna come inside for a bit? I can’t cook or anything, but sandwiches are my specialty.”

Kristoff blushed at the suggestion and scratched the back of his head.

“Oh! Uh…”

“You don’t have too! I just thought…never mind! Have a nice day!”

Anna opened the door as she silently cursed herself.

“Anna, wait.” Kristoff gently grabbed her arm before she could leave the truck. He pulled away just as quickly when she looked back at him, eyes wide and questioning. “I…I would like that.”

Anna smiled up at him, then quickly jumped out of the truck so he wouldn’t see her blush.

Kristoff grinned and followed her out of the truck.

He raised a brow when he saw her bend over and dig around in her bushes.

She was…interesting. Definitely interesting. But not in a bad way. She seemed very sweet and genuine and…well, Kristoff was _not_ going to complain about the view.

But he was curious as to what she was doing.

He walked through her small garden and crossed his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh!” Anna shot up, surprised at his proximity. “Just looking for the bunnies. Sometimes they like to hide around here.”

“Of course.”

She put her hands on her hips and looked around her feet once more as if they would magically appear.

“Well, they’re around here somewhere. I’m sure they’ll come around soon! Anyway…” She opened the screen door and went inside with Kristoff following after.

He carefully looked around at all the paintings. They were very…Anna. They were bright and colorful; mostly floral designs but also some portraits and landscapes.

Kristoff didn’t know a thing about art, but he thought they were beautiful.

Anna bit her lip as he looked around, realizing that this was the first time someone else had seen her new paintings.

“These are _so_ good, Anna,” Kristoff said as he studied a particularly bright flower field.

Anna blushed and tried to wave him off. “They’re okay.”

“No, you’re really talented.”

He was looking at her in such a sincere way that she almost choked up. Her thoughts went to Hans and how he used to say her painting was a waste of time, but she quickly focused back on the present.

“I try.” Anna tried to shrug like it was no big deal, but she suddenly felt this strange swell of pride in her chest.

Kristoff turned around to the back corner of the studio and laughed at the paper and canvases filled with paintings of rabbits.

“Wow. You _really_ like rabbits.”

“They’re amazing!” She said, turning up to him, finally looking away from the paintings. “Before I came here, I just thought they were cute, you know? But I actually really made a connection with them.”

“Really?” Kristoff asked skeptically.

“I’ve seen you talking to Sven, don’t act like it’s weird.”

“Dogs are way smarter than rabbits.”

“That’s not true! Bunnies are like _so_ smart! You should see the way they work together! I’ve seen them break into your garden; it’s almost like they plan it!”

“Wait,” Kristoff whipped around, looking out the windows to the garden. “They’re _still_ getting in? How?”

Anna giggled and he turned back to her, too enamored by the sound to be annoyed.

“Like I’d ever tell you.”

He smiled at her overly triumphant expression, and she quickly looked back to the paintings, smugness replaced with uncertainty. She could still feel his eyes on her.

“They communicate very well, you see,” Anna said, forcing her voice to stay firm and not waver.

“Like how?” Kristoff didn’t care much about the behaviors of rabbits, but he loved hearing her talk, especially when she got so passionate like this.

“Oh, they do this adorable thing!” She spun towards him, any embarrassment completely forgotten. “I haven’t _entirely_ figured out what it means yet, but they do this thing where they put their heads together, like this!”

Suddenly, Anna placed her hands on Kristoff’s shoulders and pulled him down.

Kristoff stopped breathing as his forehead met with Anna’s.

He quickly recovered, eyes closing as he breathed, slow and steady.

Anna’s eyes remained open, blushing furiously as she saw Kristoff so close. She wasn’t sure why she thought this was the best move to show him, but she was strangely glad she did.

He smelt like pine and grass, and she could feel his soft hair ticking her forehead. His warm breath blew on her nose and Anna felt like her face was on fire.

She pulled back, dropping her hands and expelling a shaky breath from her lungs.

Kristoff didn’t realize how long it took for his eyes to open; he was still inhaling the lingering scent of lavender and strawberries.

When he finally did open his eyes, he saw Anna in front of him, blushing furiously. She forced out a laugh as he felt his own face heat up.

“Um, you’ll see!” She said, voice rather strained. “I’m sure you’ll grow to love them like I have.”

Kristoff cleared his throat and awkwardly rubbed the back on his neck.

“Yeah. Yeah, probably.”

“So…” Anna took a step back and cupped her hands together. “I’m gonna get started on those sandwiches! You’re probably busy so I don’t want to take up too much of your time and I should probably keep working too – not that I mind spending time with you – but if I don’t get started soon I’ll just keep pushing it off and off and off and then suddenly it’s like a week and I’ve painted everything except what I really wanted to and then-”

“Anna?”

“Yes?”

He just grinned in response, trying to not laugh, and Anna blushed again as she bit her lip.

“Right. Kitchen’s back here.” She turned and headed to the back of the cottage, glancing behind her to make sure Kristoff was following.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and ducked his head as he walked through the house, trying to stop grinning like an idiot.

\------

After that day, they spent most free time they had with each other.

Sunny days were spent outside, exploring the country side or taking walks at the nearest pond. When Anna felt it was too nice to be cooped up in the truck, Kristoff would join her on bike rides. He didn’t tell her how he went out and bought a bike the day after she first asked him. He also omitted how he was saving that money for a new phone, but that suddenly didn’t seem as important.

When it rained, Anna let Kristoff into her studio and tried to teach him how to paint, laughing at all his failed attempts. He’d always blush and explain how his hands were just too big to hold her tiny brushes, to which she’s roll her eyes and tell him to stop making excuses; it was okay that he sucked. He would just laugh and throw it out, but when he left, Anna made sure to fish them out of the garbage. Her closet was soon filled with Kristoff’s shitty paintings.

After multiple days of begging, Kristoff let Anna help in the garden, but refused to allow her to touch any of the tools when it came to fixing the house. Anyone who managed to hurt themselves with a spade could _not_ be trusted around power tools.

Anna even introduced Kristoff to the rabbits. He had to admit, they _were_ pretty cute. But the cutest thing about them was how Anna looked at them. Her face just lit up and Kristoff couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

Even when they were busy with their own projects, they weren’t far from each other’s mind.

Sometimes Kristoff would work without a shirt.

Anna would stalk outside, acting like she needed fresh air for motivation and watch as he bent over to garden or lifted rocks to rebuild parts of the wall. She would usually cradle one of the bunnies to her chest, not realizing she was squeezing it a bit too hard until it nipped at her hand.

Sometimes Anna would pick a song that was rather suggestive and her dancing would vividly illustrate that.

Kristoff would watch, never hearing the lyrics, but still feeling the desires the song was conveying. He would stand stalk still, gawking at Anna as she swayed her hips or lifted her slender arms above her head. He would always blame the sun for the heat he felt spread all over his body. It took a loud bark and a rather forceful push from Sven to break him out of his trance.

After a couple of weeks, Anna suggested s’mores. They laid a blanket out under the stars and roasted marshmallows over a small fire. Naturally, Anna challenged Kristoff to a competition of who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouth. She won, obviously; the proof was smeared all over her lips. Kristoff had to help get the substance off, leaving them both blushing furiously as he pulled the napkin away.

After that, stargazing became another regular for them.

Almost every cloudless night, they lay next to each other – close, but no too close – and watched the stars sparkle above them.

“You can’t see stars like this in the city,” Anna said one night.

The moon was a sliver, but their eyes had adjusted and they could see clearly in the warm night.

“I think this is my favorite thing about the country,” she continued, sliding slightly closer to Kristoff.

He noticed.

“The rabbits are going to be so hurt,” he said, ignoring the growing blush on his cheeks.

Anna smacked his chest playfully and giggled. “ _Fine._ This is my second favorite thing about the country. What’s yours?”

Kristoff meant to say the peace and quiet or the lack of people. Or maybe all the wildlife or the fact that Sven had so much room to run.

He never in his life would’ve said what he was really thinking. At least, not on purpose. So it came as a surprise to both of them when he simply replied, “You.”

Anna gasped softly and rolled her body to face him, turning her wide, blue eyes up to him in the process.

“What did you say?”

Kristoff could feel the heat spreading to his neck. How did he mange to screw up that badly?

“I…um, I’m sorry. I just-”

Anna put a gentle hand on his arm. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“I think the stars might be my _third_ favorite thing, actually.”

Kristoff’s mouth spread into the lopsided grin she adored so much.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

And that was when she kissed him.


End file.
